is far from the top spot in a latest round of antivirus testing performed by , but the free security solution for Windows faired rather well, even on par with paid products. According to statistics shared by AV-Test, MSE 2.0 scored a total of 12 points, 2.5 for Protection, 4.5 for Repair and 5.0 for Usability, out of a maximum of 6 for each category.
Security solutions need to reach at least 11 in order to be AV-Test certified, and some of them managed to fail the benchmark altogether. Windows XP SP3 was the platform used for the tests.
“During the 2nd quarter of 2011 we have tested 22 security products in the areas protection, repair and usability. The “Protection” covers static and dynamic malware detection, including real-world 0-Day attack testing. In case of “Repair”, we check the system disinfection and rootkit removal in detail,” reads a message from AV-Test .
“The “Usability” testing includes the system slow-down caused by the tools and the number of false positives. A product has to reach at least 11 out of 18 possible points in order to receive a certification. 16 products have fulfilled our requirements and received an AV-TEST certificate.”
The testing reveals that Microsoft Security Essentials 2.0 has problems when it comes down to blocking 0-day (zero day) malware attacks as well as stopping malicious code after its execution.
MSE 2.0 however, manages to detect prevalent threats without any issues, as well as remove it from infected machines. Additional issues are encountered when it comes down to cleaning a computer compromised by a rootkit.
Microsoft Security Essentials 2.0’s strong points remain its usability, performance and flawless no-false-positives track record.
A number of security products have failed the tests performed by AV-Test, including: CA: Internet Security Suite 2011, Comodo: Internet Security Premium 5.3 and 5.4, McAfee: Total Protection 2011, PC Tools: Internet Security 2011.
Here is a list with some of the security solutions that were AV-Test certified. As you’ll be able to see, the largest total score was earned by BitDefender: Internet Security Suite 2011 – 17, but there are also AVs that matched or almost matched the free Microsoft Security Essentials 2.0 in terms of score.
Avast: Free AntiVirus 6.0 – 13.5
AVG: Internet Security 10.0 – 13
Avira: Premium Security Suite 10.0 – 12
BitDefender: Internet Security Suite 2011 – 17
Kaspersky: Internet Security 2011 and 2012 – 16
Panda: Internet Security 2011 and 2012 – 15.5
Symantec: Norton Internet Security 2011 – 13.5
Trend Micro: Titanium Internet Security 2011 – 12.5
Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE) 2.1.1116.0 is available for download .